Suicídio e redes sociais: espetacularização da morte ou da vida?

Abstract

Suicide is characterized as a serious public health crisis of the 21st century, a complex phenomenon that transcends geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic boundaries. While religious or traditional views often condemn it morally, the medical and scientific perspective understands it as the extreme manifestation of deep psychological suffering. This duality of perceptions generates stigma and a fragmented social representation, making it difficult to fully understand its multifactorial causes and highlighting the urgency of overcoming taboos to address the issue critically, integrating sociocultural, psychological, and public health dimensions.The portrayal of suicide in the media and entertainment has a direct and measurable impact on behavior, explained by two opposing effects. The "Werther Effect," named after a work by Goethe, describes the increase in cases due to imitation following the irresponsible coverage of suicides, especially those involving public figures. Conversely, the "Papageno Effect" demonstrates that narratives focusing on overcoming crises and seeking help can have a preventive impact, saving lives.Moreover, the subject is surrounded by strong social taboos, rooted in historical religious condemnations (such as in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) and even in the criminalization of suicide in some countries—though not in Brazil, where only inducement or assistance is considered a crime.The digital environment, particularly social media, has become a critical stage for this issue. Algorithms designed to maximize engagement and screen time can create “bubbles” that expose vulnerable users to harmful content and communities that romanticize suicide, intensifying self-destructive thoughts. Based on these aspects, it is necessary to study how social networks influence suicidal behaviors among adolescents and young adults, in an environment as present in their lives as social media itself. Keywords: suicide, internet, social networks, capitalism, mental health.